Similarly to the rest of the United Kingdom, Scotland has a distinctly temperate and oceanic climate. The temperature differences between winter and summer are quite small, but in general, the weather is quite unstable and can change extremely even within the same day. It is also true that Scotland gets a lot of rain and fog. That being said, there are also lots of clear and sunny days.

Edinburgh gets the largest number of visitors during the summer months when the weather is at its warmest — the average high temperature is 19 °C (66 °F) in August, the warmest month, and it can be significantly warmer on some days. Although April and May are noticeably cooler, some visitors prefer these months as this is when there is less precipitation than during the rest of the year. If you're more about culture and history, Edinburgh can be very nice to visit during the colder part of the year — temperatures rarely go below 0 °C (32 °F — as accommodation and car rental prices drop quite significantly (except for around Christmas and New Year). Some visitors also find Edinburgh especially atmospheric and great for photography in late autumn.

Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland, also gets most of its visitors during the summer months. Although its weather is quite comparable with Edinburgh (Glasgow being slightly warmer), Glasgow is a lot rainier in autumn and winter, especially from October to January when there can get as many as 18 rainy days per month.

The hiking season in Scotland lasts roughly from late April until September, mainly thanks to the increase in temperatures. Do keep in mind that nights are very, very short in the Scottish Highlands during the summer months — the region is at the same latitude as Saint Petersburg or Alaska and it never gets properly dark around the summer solstice. While most travelers love the experience, others find it hard to fall asleep, especially if camping outside.

The highland midges — a type of mosquito — are also most active during the summer months and can be a real annoyance if spending a lot of time in nature. Make sure you stock up on midge repellent before heading out to explore the great Scottish outdoors!

Now that you've decided when to travel to Scotland, check out our prices for the dates you have chosen!

Overall, Scotland is a very safe destination. Most local people are kind and helpful and the Scottish police are professional and trustworthy. Most visitors to Scotland do not have any trouble and have a great time.

Like anywhere else in the world, pickpockets and other petty crime occurs near popular tourist destinations, as well as in crowded public transportation. Always keep your belongings in sight and do not hesitate to ask for help if you feel threatened or have been a victim of a crime. The general emergency numbers in Scotland are 999 and 112.

Statistically, Glasgow has a higher rate of violent crime than most other cities in Western Europe. While the city is mostly safe to visit and tourists are not specifically targeted, it's good to keep in mind that the brawls and fights (which are the main reason for this statistic) usually happen in and near pubs and nightclubs, especially near the closing hours, and are very often the result of excessive drinking. Being reasonable with your own alcohol intake and not hanging in or around dodgy establishments is usually enough to keep yourself safe.

Glasgow is also infamous for its football (or soccer) hooligans, which are a small set of supporters of the city's two clubs, Celtic and Rangers. The rivalry is known as the Old Firm. Football is a big part of the Glaswegian culture and support for the clubs runs along sectarian, social, and ethnic lines, making it a contentious and sensitive issue. While things have improved noticeably over the last decade, making sweeping and bold statements about football to strangers is probably best avoided.

In rural parts of the Highlands, there are many roads that are not just narrow, but are in fact single-track — two cars can't fit on the road at the same time. Navigating these roads may be a little jarring at first, but with some common courtesy and caution, you'll get used to them quickly.

Singl-track roads have laybys often. If you see a car approaching from the other direction and a layby ahead, you should stop and wait for that car to pass you. If the layby is on your right, don't pull into it, though. Stay stopped on the road and let the other car pass using it.

If other cars stop in a layby to let you pass, it's customary to give them a wave as a thank you (or a quick flash of your lights if its nighttime).

The main language of Scotland, as in the rest of the United Kingdom, is English. Scottish English has a variety of dialects and accents, some of which can be hard for foreigners, especially non-native speakers, to understand at first. That being said, all speakers of English usually have no trouble communicating in Scotland.

Although Scots is sometimes considered a dialect of English, most sources list it as a separate language — and indeed, the differences are noticeable enough on an everyday level for it to be considered one. Scots is widely spoken in the eastern and southern parts of the country, including Glasgow. Glasgow patter, the local dialect, includes both Scottish English and Scots speakers and also has other influences. It is often spoken very quickly — come armed with patience and a sense of humor.

Scottish Gaelic is another large minority language of Scotland. A Celtic tongue, it is only very distantly related to English and there is absolutely no mutual intelligibility between the two. Instead, it is closely related (though not the same language) as Irish Gaelic and Welsh. Scottish Gaelic is mostly spoken in the western and northern parts of Scotland, including the Scottish Highlands. While virtually all Gaelic speakers know English, learning at least some Gaelic phrases can be a way to show respect as it is the native or ancestral language of many highlanders.

Scotland has an extensive road network, although obviously, the frequency of gas stations on the roads corresponds with the population density - you'll find fewer in the Highlands and other remote areas. Exploring the wild parts of Scotland is a big part of the joy of renting a car, but having a full tank and looking up the pumps that will be on your route is probably a good idea before you set off.

Prices at the British gas stations are shown per liter (1 liter = 0.26 US gallons).

As of April 2024, the price of gas in the United Kingdom is £1.57 per liter (€1.94 or $7.34 per gallon).

As in other parts of the United Kingdom and Europe, rental car prices are strongly influenced by seasonality — it's either the expectation of warmer weather or the proximity to a large holiday that makes the prices go up. That being said, there are some price dynamics that are specific to individual locations.

In Edinburgh, the average price of a rental car per day is £30 in November and £28 in February, the cheapest months. Notably, July is the most expensive, with the average price at £78. This is the highest of the high season. Other major cities in Scotland have the same price dynamics — the summer high season sees rental car prices that are much higher than the low season from November to March (with the exception of December)

There are multiple price-friendly car rental companies in Scotland, but it's advisable to also check the rating of the company left by previous customers. Ways to find a cheaper deal include booking the vehicle as early in advance as possible, traveling for multiple days instead of just one or two (usually brings the average daily price down significantly), and picking the right insurance (more on that below).

Price is obviously a huge factor when choosing a rental car, but it shouldn't be your only concern — often, for a couple of euros more, you can find a much better overall deal. Instead, try to look for a company that offers both a good price and has a good rating from previous travelers.

Also, make sure you are familiar with the rental conditions! Different rental car suppliers will have different conditions. The rental conditions can influence the final price of the car and are important to be aware of in general.

You can find the rental conditions when searching for a rental car on our website.

Some of the most important things when picking up a rental car is knowing your rental car supplier's fuel and mileage policies along with its driver requirements.

Mileage policy :
A rental supplier's mileage policy is the maximum permitted distance that you are allowed to travel per day (or sometimes per week) with your rental car. Once you exceed the permitted distance, you will be required to pay an extra fee for every additional kilometer you drive. There might also be the maximum permitted mileage for the whole of the rental period.

Different rental car suppliers have different mileage rules. It's important to know about them before booking your car, especially if you plan to drive a lot or travel long distances during your trip.

You can find the supplier's mileage policy in their rental conditions:

Fuel policy:
Different car rental companies have different policies when it comes to fuel. While on other sites you may see full-to-empty, we only list car rental deals with what we consider fair fuel policies.

Driver requirements:
Different rental car companies will have different requirements for drivers. These may include:

The same as with mileage and fuel policies, the driver requirements of each car rental supplier be found on their rental conditions page.

Check our comprehensive Help Center to learn more about mileage, fuel, and driver requirements, as well as other important questions.

Choosing the right insurance is very important as it will protect you in case anything goes wrong during your rental period. If you have your own personal insurance, it may or may not cover your rental car — you should ask your insurance carrier to find out.

We strongly recommend you choose our own Full Coverage. Not only does it come at a reasonable price and covers most potential scenarios, but it will also give you clarity and peace of mind as you will have 24/7 support from our team for any issue that you might have.

Check the Insurance section of our Help Center to learn more about choosing the right insurance and everything related to it.

Small cars are the cheapest in the United Kingdom, and Scotland is no exception. Medium-sized cars are slightly more expensive, while SUVs are significantly more expensive.

Given how many narrow and single-lane roads are found in Scotland, a smaller car is better if you can fit all you need in it.

To pick up a rental car, you'll need to have your booking confirmation voucher, passport, driver's license, a credit card on the main driver's name, and all the other necessary documents.

When making the reservation, you will see your rental car's pickup location, of which there are many types. Since most travelers tend to pick up their rental cars at the airport, we'll mainly focus on the pickup locations in or near the airport. These are the most popular pickup location types:

• Meet & Greet. With this type of pickup location, you'll be met by an employee of the car rental company in the arrivals hall of the airport which you normally enter right after leaving the baggage claim area. The employee will usually have a printed sign with your name on it. The employee will take you to the company's office to proceed with signing the rental contract and collecting the car's keys.
• In the terminal. In this case, you will have to find your rental car company's desk yourself. The desk will be usually located in the arrivals hall. Once you've found the desk, you can present your documents and continue with the pickup procedure. Do keep in mind that you might have to wait in line.
• Shuttle bus. In certain cases, the car rental company's desk might be located outside the airport's terminal. Sometimes you can reach it on foot, but in most cases, you need to take a shuttle bus. For this, you'll need to find the shuttle bus stop inside the airport, the location of which will be given to you when making the booking. Sometimes, the shuttle bus is shared by multiple car rental companies while others have their own shuttle service just for them. Look for the name and the logo of your rental company to make sure you take the right shuttle bus.
• Delivery service. This type of pick-up is similar to Meet & Greet but takes even less time to complete as you won't need to go to the car provider's office to sign the agreement.
• Car rental center. This means that your car rental company shares its location with other companies. The car rental center is located in the arrivals hall, in another part of the terminal, or in a separate building next to the terminal.
• Outside terminal. This pick-up location means that your car rental company has an individual desk located outside the airport's terminal, but within the larger airport complex, that can usually be reached on foot

At the pickup location: After the car rental company checks your documents and make sure you have enough deposit on your credit card, you will receive the car's keys and be taken to the rental car which will usually be parked in a nearby parking lot.

Inspect the car: Upon picking up the car, you will have to sign a document called the check-out form. If your rental car has any scratches or other types of damage, they should be listed on the form. Inspect the car carefully — if it has any scratches or other issues that are not listed, make sure to point them out to the employee before signing the check-out form. The form will also list the mileage and the amount of fuel the car has at the pickup time.

Take photos: It is generally a very good idea to take photos of the car before picking it up, preferably from multiple angles and including the inside of the car with the odometer showing the previous mileage on the car and of the amount of fuel in the tank (read more about fuel on our Fuel Policy section above). The photos should have a timestamp to show the date and time when they were taken; most pictures taken with mobile and digital cameras have them.

Find out the drop-off location: Before leaving with the car, make sure you find out the exact drop-off location and the directions to get there. While it will often be the same as the pickup location, it might also be in a completely different part of the airport (this is especially the case with the larger airports that have multiple terminals).

Returning the car: When dropping off the car at the end of your trip, carefully check the vehicle in the presence of an employee of the rental company. If any new scratches or damages are found, the company employee should point them out in your presence. If there are none, the car's check-in form should state that the car has been returned in the same condition. The same applies to the cleanliness of the car (if you return a car that is not clean, the company might later charge an extra cleaning fee). Make sure to check the car's trunk and the glove compartment to avoid leaving any personal belongings in the vehicle.

You might also want to add some extras for your rental car such as a GPS system, a child's seat, second-driver permission (if you're traveling with a friend or a family member who can and wants to drive). If you plan to drive in the Alps or Pyrenees, snow chains might be useful or even necessary during winter. Be sure to search for them in advance and add them before making the booking. Not every rental car supplier will have all of these extras available. Adding extras will influence the final price of a car and different car rental companies offer them for different prices.

Yes, there are hundreds of speed cameras, called safety cameras, all across Scotland. If you're caught speeding, a fine will be sent to your rental company which might add a fee on top for administering the fine.

Learn more about the safety cameras on the official website.

In Scotland, the legal alcohol limit is 0.05% for both experienced and novice drivers. In the rest of the UK, the legal alcohol limit is 0.08% for both experienced and novice drivers. Exceeding the limit can lead to large fines, a suspended license, or even imprisonment.

Unlike in much of the rest of Western Europe, there are no toll roads in Scotland and only a handful in the rest of the United Kingdom.